Redcoats Run All Over Hall Football on Senior Night - We-Ha

Berlin Pounds Hall Ground Game 34-9 on Titans Senior Night

The Hall Titans knew the Berlin Redcoats were coming to West Hartford on Friday night, and they knew precisely what was coming with them. As we-ha.com reported, Berlin relied entirely on a punishing, ground-heavy offensive attack to secure a 34-9 victory on Hall’s Senior Night, dropping the hosts to a 2-5 record.

Coming into the contest, Berlin had already amassed 1,301 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground across six games while throwing for just 541 yards. They refused to deviate from that blueprint against the Titans. Led by running backs Brandon Sadowski, Gamaliel Ayizano, and Logan Carrubba, the Redcoats ground down a tiring Hall defense that spent the majority of the night chasing a relentless clock-eating machine.

Defensive Battles Give Way to Berlin’s Ground Machine

The Titans’ defensive scheme held firm through a scoreless first quarter. Operating out of the shotgun, Hall featured running back Ben Carlson and receiver-slash-running back Spencer Boucher-Zazzaro as de facto quarterbacks, keeping the ball on the ground while neither team attempted a single pass in the opening 12 minutes. Linebacker Dario Liburdi came up with a massive stop for Hall on a fourth-and-two, while Noah Suleiman and Ndaye Stevens notched tackles for loss to stymie Berlin’s second possession. Unfortunately, Liburdi was sidelined by an injury before halftime.

The dam broke early in the second quarter. After a Hall punt, Berlin quarterback Chace Hrubiec found a seam up the middle on third down and raced 44 yards for the game’s opening score. Hrubiec later orchestrated another grueling, run-heavy march down the field, capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass to G’Dore Dixon with just 45 seconds remaining in the half. Hall answered before the break when quarterback Noah Kabakoff returned to direct a brief passing surge, setting up a 36-yard field goal that he drilled through the uprights as time expired to narrow the deficit to 14-3.

Momentum flickered briefly for the hosts early in the third quarter when Josh Almodovar recovered a fumbled bouncing punt at the Berlin 21-yard line. On the ensuing play, Boucher-Zazzaro executed a play-action pass to the left, hitting Scher wide open at the one-yard line for an easy walk-in score. Although the two-point conversion failed, the Titans had suddenly pulled within five at 14-9.

Wear and Tear Sinks Titans’ Second-Half Bid

That was as close as Hall would get. Berlin responded with a grinding six-and-a-half-minute possession aided by crucial penalties, culminating in a one-yard touchdown plunge by Hrubiec. As the game wore on, the sheer volume of plays began to take a heavy toll on a Titans defense forced to stay on the field. Anthony Dresko joined the offensive onslaught alongside Sadowski, Hrubiec, and Ayizano, chewing up yardage and draining precious minutes off the game clock.

By the fourth quarter, Berlin’s ground game was operating at will. Late in the contest, Ayizano capped another sustained march with a three-yard scoring run with 2:42 remaining, pushing the advantage to 34-9. Hall attempted to mount a final scoring drive through the air, capped by a spectacular long reception by Boucher-Zazzaro that put the ball at the Berlin three-yard line. But any hopes of a late consolation score were dashed when Ty Puzio stepped in front of an end-zone pass for an interception with just 46 seconds left on the clock.

“On offense we did what we have been doing but they did a great job shutting us down,” Hall head coach Steve Markie told we-ha.com after the game, noting that the visitors repeatedly forced his offense to run up the middle. “We’ve been in games and we knew this one would be a dogfight. Our kids worked really hard.”

Looking Ahead at the Final Stretch

The statistical ledger underscored Berlin’s total dominance on the ground. The Redcoats accumulated 21 first downs, with 16 coming directly via the rush, four handed over by penalties, one off an interception, and precisely zero through the passing game. Hrubiec finished 2-for-4 passing for just 9 yards, while Ayizano paced the ground attack with 73 yards on 17 carries.

Hall High School Cheer and Football Senior Night – October 30, 2026

For Hall, the defeat marks the end of their home schedule for the autumn. Before Friday night’s kickoff, the program honored its 17 senior players in a pre-game ceremony. The Titans will now hit the road for consecutive away matchups against 2-5 East Hartford and 2-5 South Windsor, before concluding their season with the traditional rivalry game against Conard on Saturday, Nov. 21.